On Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle

Andy Serkis' adaptation of Kipling's The Jungle Books attempts to take the stories away from the familiar, Disney roots where bears have an incredible knowledge of musical genres outside of their environment and back to Kipling's more wild, lawless parables. Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (moving away from the original title to avoid confusion with Favreau's 2016 Disney remake) adapts the familiar stories: Mowgli's Brothers, Kaa's Hunting and Tiger! Tiger! into one narrative. So, what is left is Disney's The Jungle Book (1967) with no songs and more aggression. Serkis makes great use of a technology that he has been at the forefront of, which is motion capture. The Indian jungle is also wonderfully rendered. Legend of the Jungle, however lacks substance as it is let down by a perfunctory script. Most of the voice actors bring life to their respective animals, although Cate Blanchett's Kaa is a misstep in direction and unfortunately, the young actor playing Mowgli lacks the ability to convey the emotions he is tasked with. It is an impressive, but forgettable film.